Sandaya Camping Le P'tit Bois – 5-Star Campsite — Hotel in Saint-Malo

We camped here and the private toilet and shower facilities are what really attracted us... they were great and have probably set my wife's expectations for future camping trips a little high.

The pitch size was good. We went for the larger size and it was just right in length for our large tent with plenty of space left over for an event shelter and car. There are hedges between pitches which give good privacy and sound absorption.

The pool facilities are amazing with loads of pools and slides, and indoor and outdoor options that are perfect for toddlers through to early teens. Be warned though that men and boys are not permitted in the pools or slides in swim shorts 🤬

The play park is also great, there are 2 bouncy castles for different age ranges, slides, zip lines (very safe ones over a suspended bouncy net), an elevated bouncy net thingamy, climbing/traversing wall, astroturf football/basketball court and neighbouring kids clubs.

Evening entertainment is available but generally this was very poor and we preferred not to bother.

The location is pretty good assuming you have a car... 10 mins to St Malo, 40 mins to Le Mont St Michel. There's a bus stop just outside the camp site if you're without a car.

So why only 2 stars?...

The only rule enforced around the pool was the utterly stupid 'no swim shorts' rule... regardless of whether this is French law or not this is the 1st time I've been anywhere that was petty enough to enforce it. The lifeguards did nothing but occasionally harass a man or a boy for wearing loose swimwear and send them off to the shop to spend €15 on a pair of budgie smugglers. To rub salt in the wound or maybe just as a power move, the male lifeguard himself wore loose swim shorts in his supposedly pool rescue ready state.

The regular patrols in golf carts throughout the day and the night... literally. I found out the hard way on our 1st night that these are to ensure no one has a BBQ or fire. I've had BBQs on French campsites before but this one does not allow it and will extinguish your BBQ if you dare to light one, regardless of how safe or sensible the setup is.

The evening entertainment was very poor. Maybe I've been spoiled by my last stay in the notorious Pontins but if it fails to engage my kids then it's not hit the mark. I think it worked ok for the French kids perhaps but not mine. For the price of camping here I expected better.

All in all it's a very good campsite and holiday park that is stained by its stubbornness of pointlessly enforcing stupid rules that detract from the enjoyment of its guests. Easy to fix,...

Stayed for ten days with a young family, in a four star cottage with three bedrooms. We spent a lot of time researching and were guided by the swimming facilities mostly. We needed something with decent indoor options in case of poor weather. ||We were very impressed. The site is beautifully maintained and spotlessly clean around all areas. The reception and catering staff we encountered were all really lovely and friendly. ||The swimming was excellent. Outdoor pool areas were clean, and the water temperature mostly very comfortable whatever the weather. Only the plunge pool for one of the slides was cold. ||Indoors, the large pool never felt overcrowded and likewise the play area beyond. The slides and play pools were all good. ||We didn’t eat at the restaurant but did have takeaway a few times. The food was fresh and tasted good. Reasonable prices and friendly staff. ||There’s a handy shop on site for essentials and fresh bread/pastries in the morning. Again, staff were great. Just a few minutes away is a large supermarket for bigger shopping. ||The holiday lodge was pretty standard. We would have liked a little extra space and another toilet, but we knew what we were choosing. It was generally clean on arrival. Although fairly densely packed together, we didn’t feel claustrophobic due to the landscaping. ||A few criticisms:||- It would have been better to have an oven. |- Being close to the facilities meant it was noisy at night with loud music until after 11.|- Poolside areas slippery and supervision cover patchy. One of the pool supervisors was quite rude to us but that was an isolated incident |- The games room was dated and cramped|- Mini golf was tired|- There was nobody available to hand our keys to when we left early morning. Security guard nowhere to be seen |- electric car charging facilities need upgrading |- end of holiday cleaning charge is really high and might have helped us enjoy our last day more if we could have justified cost||Otherwise all really good and this site is...

Booked for 3 nights as part of our 2 week trip to France. We had a 4 star, 4 persons cottage which was compact but extremely clean & well maintained. No air con but we did bring our own fan which wasn’t really needed. The site is divided in two by a small quiet road & our cottage was situated over the road which was fine. Lovely setting in nature despite being so close to St Malo. ||All staff were extremely friendly & helpful & spoke fairly good English. The swimming pools were great especially the indoor kids section, lots of slides which my son loved however as some other reviews have pointed out the water overall was on the cool side, not a major problem for us due to the hot weather we had in August. I did aqua aerobics & zumba which were fun & the instructor very lively & friendly. We went to the entertainment on two evenings which is in Fetch, the entertainment venue by the shop. The bar in Fetch wasn’t open & the venue separate from the main bar/restaurant area & not very close to the kids playground and as a result hardly anyone was in there & it lacked atmosphere, felt sorry for the band playing one evening, the disco was better attended. ||We sat at the main bar quite a lot, app to order drinks & then pay when they arrived bit strange but it works! Seating consists mainly of high stools & some lower seats. Takeaway was good, we had chicken & chips one evening & also tried a takeaway pizza, both were well cooked. We had dinner in the restaurant on the last night, food was delicious, burgers, mussels & chips & lovely desserts! Service was very good too. Nice campsite & great area to explore when the weather is good, short drive to the ferry ports if you are...